Fruit and vegetable container



April 9 3 R. L. MEYERS 3,086,646

' FRUIT AND VEGETABLE CONTAINER Filed Dec. 27, 1960 INVENTOR Robe/'2 A.Meyer:

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,086,646 Patented Apr. 23, 1963 73,086,646 FRUIT Alfl) VEGETABLE CONTAINER Robert L. Meyers, 1966 James,St. Paul, Minn. Filed Dec. 27, 1969, Ser. No. 78,636 1 Claim. (Cl.20645.33)

This invention relates to an improvement in fruit and vegetablecontainer and deals particularly with a simple and effective containerfor supporting a series of tomatoes or other such products.

With the advent of supermarkets and other self service stores, it hasbeen necessary to unitize and package many products which werepreviously sold in bulk. For example, it has become common practice topackage a series of tomatoes and similar products in a suitable tray andto overwrap them or to provide a transparent window so that the productmay be readily used. As a result, much of the spoilage of fruit due tohandling by the customers is obviated. It is a purpose of the presentinvention to provide a package of this type.

Large producers having a constant or semi-constant output of packages ofa predetermined size or shape can employ an overwrapping machine foroverwrapping the trays of product with a transparent film. However, thisapparatus is expensive to purchase and expensive to operate and is noteconomical where smaller volumes are concerned or where the size of theproduct varies. It is an object of the present invention to provide acontainer which may be used by such producers so that the cost will notbe excessive.

A feature of the present invention resides in the provision of anelongated tray or similar container into which the fruit or vegetablesmay be placed. In order to protect the contents, a three-sided cover isprovided which tucks into the walls of the tray and which extendsthroughout the length of the tray and which may be manually applied at aconsiderable rate of speed.

A feature of the present invention resides in the provision of a coverwhich may be of paperboard or similar material having two end portionsconnected by longitudinally extending straps. The straps form partialside walls for the tray. A window of cellophane or other transparentfilm is attached between the straps and between the ends of the coverforming a window overlying the major portion of the length of the trayand through which the contents of the tray may be observed.

A further feature of the present invention resides in the provision of acover of a type described in which the ends of the cover are providedwith downwardly projecting gears which extend inwardly of the Walls ofthe tray and between these walls and the product, thus holding the covereffectively in position.

These and other objects and novel features of the present invention willbe more clearly and fully set forth in the following specification andclaim.

In the drawings forming a part of the specification:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a tray in readiness for sale.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the cover forming a part of thepackage.

FIGURE 3 is a diagrammatic view of .the blank from which the tray coveris formed.

Attractive trays such as the tray A have been produced of thin moldedplastic at a sufiiciently inexpensive price to be used in the packagingof vegetables and the like. These trays include opposed side walls suchas 7, a bottom wall, a portion of the bottom wall being indicated at 8,and spaced end walls 9 which extend somewhat above the level of the sidewalls 7. All of the walls are formed of thin strips of plastic materialdesigned to provide a necessary support for the contents, while at thesame time employing a minimum of molding powder.

The end walls 12 extend upwardly to the approximate level of thetomatoes B or other product being contained.

The cover C is formed as best illustrated in FIGURE 3 of the drawings.The cover includes a pair of end panel portions 10 which are foldablyconnected along aligned fold lines 11 to side walls which are indicatedin general by the numeral 12. The cover panels 10 are also connectedalong aligned fold lines 13 which are parallel to the fold lines 11 andwhich foldably connect the top panels 10 to the side walls which areindicated in general by the numeral 14. The space between the end walls10 is cut away to provide a generally rectangular aperture 15, theaperture 15 extending between the inner opposed edges of the top panels10 and between the upper edges 16 of the side Walls 12. The upper edgesof the side walls 12 are notched as indicated at 17, so that the upperedges 16 are somewhat below the level of the fold lines 11 and 13.

A generally rectangular sheet 19 of cellophane or other transparent filmis adhered to a surface of the cover to close the rectangular aperture15. When the cover is folded as indicated in FIGURE 2 of the drawings,the side walls 12 and 14 are in opposed generally parallel relation andthe cellophane sheet extends across the top of the package anddownwardly along the upper portion of the sides thereof.

The side walls 12 are provided with outwardly projecting cars 20 and theside walls 14 are provided with similar outwardly projecting ears 21.The distance between the edges 22 of the ears 20, and the edges 23 andthe fold lines 13 is substantially equal to the height of the end walls9 of the tray A. Thus the side walls may extend substantially to thebottom wall 8 of the tray when the cover is fully inserted.

As indicated in FIGURE 1 of the drawings, the panels 10 overlie portionsof the end tomatoes B of the series but the intermediate tomatoes areexposed through the transparent film 19. Due to the fact that the sidewalls and bottom walls of the tray are preferably formed of strips ofmaterial, virtually all of the product is visible from the bottom of thetray, and most of it is from the sides thereof.

In operation, the tomatoes B are merely placed in the tray in properrelation. The cover B is then folded from the fiat form illustrated inFIGURE 3 to the channel shaped for-m illustrated in FIGURE 1 and theends of the tray are forced down inwardly of the side walls 7 of thetray and outwardly of the product. While the tray has been described asbeing useful in conjunction with the packaging of tomatoes, it isobvious that the tray is equally well suited to provide a package ofother goods such as various types of fruit, or even products such ascookies and the like which do not require complete wrapping.

In accordance with the patent statutes, I have described the principlesof construction and operation of my improvement in fruit and vegetablecontainer, and while I have endeavored to set forth the best embodimentthereof, I desire to have it understood that changes may be made withinthe scope of the following claim without departing from the spirit of myinvention.

I claim:

A package for fruit, vegetables and the like comprising a tray having agenerally rectangular bottom, side and end walls connected to the edgesof said bottom and extending upwardly therefrom, and an open top, theend walls extending above the level of the side walls, the side and endwalls having openings therethrough through which the contents of thetray may be viewed, a cover used in conjunction with said tray, saidcover including a generally rectangular top panel, and cover side walls.4 hinged to opposite sides of said top panel to extend doWnplay of thetray contents, said cover side Walls being foldwardly therefrom, saidtop panel and cover side Walls able between the end Walls of said trayand inwardly of fitting between said end Walls, said top panel having ath t id ll central aperture therethrough extending the major portion ofthe length thereof, a film of transparent material 5 References Citedthefile of this patent closing said aperture and being marginallyconnected to UNITED STATES PATENTS said cover side walls and to the endsof said top panel, the center portions of said cover side walls beingnotched 2,09 7,690 Femgr'en 1937 along the lower edges thereofthroughout the major por- 2,287,495 Moyfirs June 231 1942 tion of theheight of the tray side walls to provide a dis- 10 2,59 5,678 LevkoflMay 1952

